One of the highlights of the ladies football year in Monaghan was Tyholland's victory in the All-Ireland Senior Sevens competition in October. The Tyholland team was sponsored by former Eire Og player Kieran McMahon, who runs a successful tyre company in Monaghan town. For the second time in four seasons, the Tyholland ladies celebrated success on the national stage when they captured the All-Ireland Senior Sevens title at Naomh Mearnog in Dublin at the beginning of October. It was a remarkable victory considering the Tyholland management trio of Owen McNally, Dwayne McCarey and Eileen McNally had to round up a squad of players at very short notice after some of the teams had withdrawn from the event. Eighty-four teams from Ireland, Britain, Australia and Canada took part in the prestigious competition at junior, intermediate and senior level, with Tyholland proving themselves to be a class apart. "It was a great achievement for them - I was delighted for the players and the management," says team sponsor Kieran McMahon, whose 14-year old daughter Shauna was one of the stars of the Tyholland success. "We live across the road from the football pitch in Tyholland and there's something happening there every day of the week. On a personal level, I was thrilled for Shauna who made a small piece of history by becoming the youngest player ever to win an All-Ireland Sevens medal." Shauna follows in the footsteps of her older sister Christina who was a member of the Tyholland team which brought a first All-Ireland junior club title to Monaghan in 2002. The red and whites beat Cappawhite of Tipperary in the final at St. Loman's, Mullingar by 6-7 to 1-9 with Therese McNally giving a Player of the Match performance by scoring 3-2. Tyholland reached the All-Ireland intermediate club final last year, but were left disappointed after losing to Roscommon side St. Brigid's by 0-4 to 1-8 at Longford's Pearse Park. St. Brigid's got off to a dream start when corner forward Aine O'Brien fired home the only goal after just 25 seconds. They had extended their lead to seven points before Therese McNally eventually opened Tyholland's account in the 18th minute. But the Ulster champions continued to struggle and whatever hopes they had of staging a comeback were ended when their inspirational centre back Pamela Treanor was forced to retire through injury. But that disappointment was well and truly forgotten about when Tyholland were crowned All-Ireland Sevens winners this year. They qualified from a tough group that included Aodh Ruadh (Tyrone), St. Brendan's (Galway), Athea (Limerick) and the host club Naomh Mearnog before accounting for Clone of Wexford in the semi-final. Another Wexford team, Shelmaliers, provided the opposition for Tyholland in the decider. The North Monaghan girls were looking good for victory when they led by 4-3 to 2-5 at the interval. Within minutes of the restart, however, Shelmaliers were back on level terms and the game appeared to be slipping from Tyholland's grasp. But they dug deep and went on to take victory by 6-6 to 3-8. As well as sponsoring the Tyholland ladies team this year, Kieran - who is proprietor of Kieran McMahon Tyres Ltd - coached the boys under 14 team which his son James played on. He played all his club football with Eire Og and was part of the team that defeated Emyvale in the 1984 junior championship final. His nephew Gerard, who is Kieran McMahon Tyres depot manager, currently plays for Eire Og and has garnered medals at under 14, minor and under 21 level. Gerard also played in the 1999 intermediate final which Eire Og lost to Truagh. "We're still trying to win an intermediate championship," he explains. "Raymond Leonard, who was a Monaghan selector during Colm Coyle's time as manager, was over the team this year and we reached the quarter-final of the championship where Donaghmoyne beat us well. That was obviously a big disappointment, but hopefully the team will be able to make amends next year." Like all Monaghan supporters, Kieran took a great deal of encouragement from the team's performances this season. A bizarre injury-time goal from a Paul Finlay free gave Seamus McEnaney's charges a dramatic 3-13 to 3-12 victory over Meath in the National League Division 2 final last May, and the scenes afterwards were reminiscent of those which follow an All-Ireland victory. "It's been a great year for Monaghan football and it was good to see the team having a decent run in the championship after the excitement of winning the league title," he says. "Everyone in Monaghan is looking forward to seeing the team play in Division 1 next year against the best teams in the country. They will gain a lot of experience from playing at that level and hopefully they will be in a position to challenge for an Ulster championship in two or three years' time. The players are good enough to make it." Kieran's believes the Division 2 success would not have been possible but for the input of Seamus McEnaney and his backroom team. "Seamus is a very shrewd manager, the same as he's a very shrewd businessman. He lives for Monaghan football and is not a mercenary like a lot of inter-county managers at the moment. He's done a great job so far and I'm sure he is keen to build on this year's success in 2006." Established in 1987, Kieran McMahon Tyres Ltd is the number one retail and wholesale tyre company in Monaghan. Based at Swan Park in Monaghan town, the company employs highly experienced tyre fitters and provides a 24-hour breakdown service covering most of Europe. Kieran McMahon Tyres Ltd is one of only a handful of companies in Ireland that offers a state-of-the-art 3D lazer wheeling alignment service. The Tyholland ladies football squad that won the All-Ireland Senior Sevens title was: Lisa Sherry (captain), Brenda, Therese, Una and Grainne McNally, Catherine and Maureen West, Pamela Treanor, Sinead McCooey, Grainne Treanor and Shauna McNally. Tweet

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